T.J. Maxx

I know I've crowed every now and then about nifty finds among the odd and unwanted on the grocery shelves next to cookware. However, my search of the impressive, updated Shopping and Cooking indices suggests that this store has yet to inspire its own thread.

Ta-da!

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The store in Tenleytown often serves me well, especially when it comes to imported olive oils and vinegars. In the past, I've found a snazzy bottle of Ligurian olive oil when trying to honor the region that gave us pesto; no other store convenient to me carried the item and later, when I traipsed to Balducci, there it was for about 50% more!

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of olive oil from Andalusia and carrying it around, I noticed a savvy Spanish woman contemplating the same. She reassured me that it was a really good, recognized producer--she just couldn't remember which of the two types (two different olives) was fruity and softly fragrant and which was pungent and pronounced in flavor.

Judging by my selection, the bottles remaining on the shelves contain aggressive stuff--but even the mild variety that I bought is really, really good on a salad lazily dressed in the bowl with just salt, pepper, sherry vinegar (first, tossed) and olive oil.

Currently there is a great range including flavored French oils (toasted almond...), one from Portugal and another Bergamo.

I *love* TJ Maxx for all sorts of kitchen stuff. I never know which olive oils to buy, but they carry the same line of boutique nut and seed oils that I've seen at Whole Paycheck for less than half the price. With fall here (sort of), I'm using the walnut oil with sherry vinegar to dress salads with blue cheese and apples. I also buy Yorkshire tea, smoked paprika, and various kitchen gadgets there on a regular basis.

I love scanning the pots and pans, dinnerware, kitchen utensils and food areas. I've not necessarily bought the food items, but I've found lots of Williams Sonoma items for a great price, such as the vanilla and almond extracts (the BIG bottles!) and also lots of Madagascar vanilla beans and other great high-quality gourmet items. Sure, sometimes they're treated horribly by customers and staff alike, but most of the items I've found are in good condition.

TJ Maxx, Ross and Marshalls (all owned by the same company) also often have Le Creuset "irregulars" for $100. It's still too pricey for me at the moment to justify a purchase, but I am seriously tempted every time I come across one! I have bought plenty of utensils, plates/bowls/cups/mugs and a pot or pan here or there. If you have the time and patience, it's a great place to find quality stuff.

Between TJ Maxx and Home Goods I have found a lot of pots and pans on registries for the gazillion weddings I have/had this year. Lots of calphalon and le crueset. And at big discounts from the tag price, which has really helped. If you aren't picky about Le Crueset colors you can find some great buys, I think I got a dutch oven medium size in their line for $75 last year.

But I learned fast how to keep my head up 'cause I
Know I got this side of me that
Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just
Fly the whole mess into the sea. The Shinswww.rrbmdk.comwww.katelintaylor.com

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of olive oil from Andalusia and carrying it around, I noticed a savvy Spanish woman contemplating the same. She reassured me that it was a really good, recognized producer--she just couldn't remember which of the two types (two different olives) was fruity and softly fragrant and which was pungent and pronounced in flavor. Judging by my selection, the bottles remaining on the shelves contain aggressive stuff--but even the mild variety that I bought is really, really good on a salad lazily dressed in the bowl with just salt, pepper, sherry vinegar (first, tossed) and olive oil.

Arbequiña is the more buttery Spanish oil--my preference. Hojiblanca is more peppery and grassy, and has more similarity to Tuscan oils.

Between TJ Maxx and Home Goods I have found a lot of pots and pans on registries for the gazillion weddings I have/had this year. Lots of calphalon and le crueset. And at big discounts from the tag price, which has really helped. If you aren't picky about Le Crueset colors you can find some great buys, I think I got a dutch oven medium size in their line for $75 last year.

Le Creuset has a store at the Leesburg Outlet Mall which sells seconds at comparable prices, in pretty much every color they make. Since a Le Creuset pot is really a lifetime investment, it's worth the trip to get a color you want to look at for the rest of your cooking life. Plus, there's a Williams Sonoma Outlet there, too.

Arbequiña is the more buttery Spanish oil--my preference. Hojiblanca is more peppery and grassy, and has more similarity to Tuscan oils.

Le Creuset has a store at the Leesburg Outlet Mall which sells seconds at comparable prices, in pretty much every color they make. Since a Le Creuset pot is really a lifetime investment, it's worth the trip to get a color you want to look at for the rest of your cooking life.

They also run specials on the full price stuff too. I used to be on their mailing list for the sales, but I guess I'm not anymore. I've gotten some very good deals there.

I have to (hesitantly) admit that I've been a fan of Ross Dress for Less (hey, I live in Laurel!) for cooking supplies for some time. Got a really nice large bamboo cutting board that I love there, along with much glassware (since I am always breaking glasses) and tons of other gadgets. But I never thought to look at the actual food items - always assumed it was a bunch of hokey raspberry mustards and such. I will have to take a look next time I'm in there, which won't be too long since I broke 2 more wine glasses yesterday.

There's a Home Goods not far from me, adding that to my list too. Not sure if there's a TJ Maxx near me? Thanks for posting!

Le Creuset has a store at the Leesburg Outlet Mall which sells seconds at comparable prices, in pretty much every color they make. Since a Le Creuset pot is really a lifetime investment, it's worth the trip to get a color you want to look at for the rest of your cooking life. Plus, there's a Williams Sonoma Outlet there, too.

I think I win the prize here. One of our more elderly neighbors donated her Le Creuset pot to the Tenants Association yard sale a few years ago, because it was just too big and too heavy for her to handle anymore. Since I was part of the volunteer labor doing the pricing, I picked it up (practically unused) for a grand total of Ten ($10) dollars. Before you all scream at me, it was one of the more expensive items in the sale.

There's a Home Goods not far from me, adding that to my list too. Not sure if there's a TJ Maxx near me? Thanks for posting!

Probably the same thing, but a little bit of different inventory. TJ Maxx started HomeGoods in 1992 and acquired Marshalls in 1995 (I remember that change because Marshalls used to be way better and I was sad).

(although I didn't realize TJ Maxx owned Chadwick's of Boston at one point, but I digress.)

Ross has been kinder to me in the kids and clothing dept. than the home goods section, at least in seven corners. But, yfunk3, it's *not* under the same umbrella as TJ Maxx. Ross has been small and Cali-based, only operating Ross and dd discounts.

PS. Barbara - awesome find!

Taste. Feel. Be comforted.

Am not a fan of finding out that I started a new topic...

Oh ply me with barley,
Or ply me with rye,
Just don't expect to hear
A coherent goodbye.

I think I win the prize here. One of our more elderly neighbors donated her Le Creuset pot to the Tenants Association yard sale a few years ago, because it was just too big and too heavy for her to handle anymore. Since I was part of the volunteer labor doing the pricing, I picked it up (practically unused) for a grand total of Ten ($10) dollars. Before you all scream at me, it was one of the more expensive items in the sale.

You definitely win!

I was able to bring home an old school pressure cooker and an old "food system" that includes a meat grinder and an ice crusher from my grandmother's house for free recently. Do I win anything for that?

I was able to bring home an old school pressure cooker and an old "food system" that includes a meat grinder and an ice crusher from my grandmother's house for free recently. Do I win anything for that?

Well, if you want to have a contest on inherited stuff . . . I've got all my mother's sterling silver, which anyone who has had dinner at my place has used.

I need to inspect things from T.J. Maxx a bit more closely. A couple weeks ago I bought some cute cordial glasses, no broken ones in the box, check. Got them home and ran them thru the dishwasher. After they were clean, I took them out and wondered why water kept coming off them.

Well, they have that air bubble in the bottom of the stem like la lot of manufactured glassware does. Only thing is, they didn't close the bubble on the bottom completely, so they have this "hidden" water that you have to deal with. They're in the donation box now.

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch. - James Beard

Arbequiña is the more buttery Spanish oil--my preference. Hojiblanca is more peppery and grassy, and has more similarity to Tuscan oils.

I was at TJ Maxx in Rockville today and saw the bottles of Spanish oil with two different olive varieties. They were Hojiblanca and Picual, which is the third major olive variety grown in Spain, and which had slipped my mind (not hard to do these days).

I tried Le Creuset store at Leesburg Premium Outlet 2 years ago but its discount rate didn't beat the TJ Maxx's or HomeGood's rates. I finally got the Le Creuset red color wide Dutch oven (I have 3.5 QT and 5 QT) at HomeGoods Kingstowne location so my Dutch Oven hunting is over. Not only Le Creuset items but also Rosenthal china or Mauviel copper pots are shown sometimes so I usually go there for bargain hunting.

There were 2 beautiful Le Creuset (lighter blue) Dutch ovens at the DCUSA Marshalls today 11/12/10. One was a 6 quart for $149 and the other a lower slung, wider pot for $169 (compare at $250 they say). I had the later in my cart but thought better of my budget and bought the 7 quart red Cuisinart enamaled Dutch for $69. There's also a 6 quart Battali for $39. There are also some other perfectly fine (but not yuppie) smaller ovens though not name brand available as well. Shop fast!